US to increase numbers at Pine Gap

The United States Ambassador to Australia says his country will increase the number of US personnel in Alice Springs.

Ambassador Jeffrey Bleich this week went on his first tour of the Pine Gap Joint Defence Facility near Alice Springs.

He says the US and Australian Governments are investing significant amounts of money upgrading infrastructure at the base.

Mr Bleich says he would expect the number of US personnel serving in Alice Springs to increase over the coming years.

"It's a wonderful relationship and all I see is it continuing to grow and move forward," he said.

"We have an agreement which goes in perpetuity unless one side or the other wants to end it and I don't see any sign of either nation wanting to end it.

"It's been very productive and a wonderful example of what the United States and Australia can do when we put our minds to it."

Mr Bleich says the base upgrades include work on its power station.

"There is going to be improvements in the kind of fuel which is used, moving off of diesel and into natural gas and they've also done a number of refinements within the facility in order to make it more environmentally-friendly.